Tag: Mike Onwenu

Here’s what position Patriots OL Mike Onwenu is expected to play moving forward

Guard or tackle? What position will Patriots OL Mike Onwenu play in 2024?

New England Patriots offensive lineman Michael Onwenu signed a three-year, $57 million deal to return to the team that drafted him. However, some have wondered what position he could potentially play considering he has worked in at both tackle and guard for the team.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Onwenu is expected to be the Patriots’ starting right tackle moving forward.

Onwenu has been a fixture on the New England offensive line ever since he was drafted by the organization in 2020. His ability to compete at both the tackle and guard spots has made him invaluable for the Patriots’ struggling offense.

But now, it appears he’s officially locking in as an NFL offensive tackle.

New England’s offensive line is going to need stability moving forward, particularly if they have a rookie quarterback under center. At the very least, Onwenu’s presence at tackle is half of the puzzle solved for one of the Patriots’ biggest positions of need.

Report: OL Mike Onwenu agrees to new three-year deal with Patriots

The Patriots are expected to keep one of their cornerstone offensive players

The New England Patriots and versatile offensive lineman Mike Onwenu have agreed on a new three-year, $57 million contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

When the team struggled last season, Onwenu took some of the pressure off the offensive line due to his ability to work in as both a guard and tackle. Losing him and Trent Brown, who is also a free agent, would have been devastating to an offensive front that struggled throughout the 2023 season.

Onwenu is still much better at the guard position, but his ability to take up right tackle, which he could obviously improve at in 2024, is a heavy weight lifted off the Patriots.

They’ll likely continue to look at free agency and obviously the 2024 NFL draft in an effort to rebuild the offensive line. They started the process last week by agreeing on a deal with former Pittsburgh Steelers starting offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.

For now, they should consider it a major win on reaching a new agreement with Onwenu, who certainly earned his pay raise.

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players (via @NFL_DougFarrar):

When the new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 13, the NFL’s legal tampering period will already have gone on for two days, and several top-tier free agents will be off the market… hypothetically, of course.

There are multiple levels to free agency, of course. The big names and best players are generally picked off as quickly as possible, and then, it’s musical chairs for the best of the rest — and this where smart teams will have their eyes on the ideal value guys who can come in without a great deal of fanfare and solidify positions of need.

These are the players we’re choosing to focus on here. These players are not at the top of most free-agent list for the 2024 league year, but make no mistake — they can be key contributors to any team they’re on.

We’ll begin with the most underrated impending free agents on offense.

FTW predicts Titans sign Mike Onwenu, Xavier McKinney

In an article predicting where each of the top free agents will land, FTW has the Titans signing Mike Onwenu and Xavier McKinney.

Rejoice, Tennessee Titans fans: We are now just days away from the start of free agency. Teams and pending free agents can officially begin negotiating on March 11 and players can start signing on the dotted line on March 13.

The Titans figure to be big players in free agency, as the team currently boasts the third-most cap space in the NFL at $75.4 million, according to Over the Cap.

Christian D’Andrea of For The Win recently predicted where each of the league’s top-25 free agents will sign this offseason. If D’Andrea ends up being correct, Titans fans should be ecstatic.

D’Andrea has the Titans landing two of those players. First, he has the Titans landing the No. 18 free agent in Mike Onwenu, a versatile offensive lineman who has played both guard and tackle for the New England Patriots. The lineman had a stellar 71.5 PFF grade in 2023.

Regarding Onwenu’s fit with the Titans, D’Andrea said the following:

Tennessee needs blocking help that fits with the timeline of its rebuild. The 26-year-old Onwenu makes sense. The Patriot standout can handle multiple roles up front, filling in at either tackle spot or, ideally, pairing with Peter Skoronski to give the Titans one of the best interior blocking combinations in the NFL. That would make life easier for Will Levis, but it would be a godsend to whomever has to fill Derrick Henry’s shoes in 2024.

Per Spotrac, Onwenu is slated to command around $13.6 million on the open market. The Titans could comfortably afford to add the blocker and still have plenty of room left over.

Speaking of having room left over, let’s dive into D’Andrea’s other pick: Xavier McKinney.

McKinney had an exceptional year for the New York Giants in 2023. The defensive back collected 116 tackles, three interceptions, 11 passes defensed and two tackles for loss, earning an elite 87.8 PFF grade for his efforts.

The Titans are expected to add to the secondary this offseason, so McKinney is a logical fit. Regarding the fit, D’Andrea said the following:

Tennessee’s youth movement continues with a 24-year-old safety coming off the most complete season of his career. The Titans have a big hole to fill in their secondary following the trade of Kevin Byard. McKinney can play both deep or in the box and would create some much needed versatility along the team’s last line of defense.

Spotrac places an estimated $10.4 million price tag on the young safety. The expected annual values for both players combined is around $24 million, meaning the Titans would have plenty of space to maneuver after these additions.

It will be interesting to see how the Titans attack free agency and add talent to the roster — the wait is almost over!

What Chukwuma Okorafor signing means for Mike Onwenu

Will Chukwuma Okorafor signing impact the Patriots’ chances of re-signing Mike Onwenu?

The New England Patriots made their first strides towards beefing up their offensive line by reportedly signing former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on Thursday.

Of course, that has a bunch of Patriots fans pressing the panic alarm on the team’s chances of re-signing pending free agent tackle Mike Onwenu to a new deal.

Take a deep breath. Relax.

This signing will not impact the Patriots’ ongoing negotiations with Onwenu. The Patriots are expected to make several signings, whether through the draft or free agency, at the tackle position, which was one of the biggest trouble spots for the team throughout the 2023 season.

Okorafor is a solid depth signing with plenty of upside at only 26 years old. Sure, he has starting potential, but he could also work into the offense as a rotational piece up front.

More than anything, the Patriots need reliable bodies to serve as a wall for whoever is under center at quarterback, and Okorafor is the kind of player that can help provide that sort of protection.

New England should still be very competitive in trying to re-sign Onwenu. Patriots executive Eliot Wolf wouldn’t have gone out of his way to call the former sixth-round draft pick a “cornerstone” player if he wasn’t serious about bringing him back on a new deal.

Nothing is ever certain in free agency, but when it comes to keeping one of their own, the new regime isn’t going down without a fight.

Available free agent offensive tackles for Patriots in 2024

There are still solid offensive tackle options for the Patriots on the free agent market in 2024

The New England Patriots are in danger of losing both of their starting offensive tackles from the 2023 season.

Left tackle Trent Brown and right tackle Mike Onwenu are both slated to hit the free agent market, which will put them in the driver’s seat of contract negotiations. Losing Brown would sting, but the Patriots have the cap space and draft capital to overcome that loss in the offseason.

However, things could get tricky if the team fails to re-sign Onwenu, who worked in at both tackle and guard last season. Onwenu is only 26 years old and in position to become one of the rebuilding blocks on the Patriots’ offensive front.

Whether he stays or goes, it’s going to take a herculean effort for the Patriots to get the offensive line back on track. It all starts in free agency by dedicating the necessary resources to young talent that can help the team for years to come.

Here are the available free agent offensive tackles for the Patriots in 2024:

Patriots OL Mike Onwenu set to be free agent with no franchise tag in place

The franchise deadline has come and gone, and Mike Onwenu is set to test the free agent market

The franchise tag deadline has come and gone with the New England Patriots opting to use the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger. That move alone knocked offensive lineman Mike Onwenu out of the running for the franchise tag.

So, what does it all mean for the Patriots?

The transition tag will allow the Patriots an opportunity to match any outside offers for Dugger, who has stepped up as a leader in the defensive backfield after Devin McCourty retired. However, they’re risking losing Onwenu on the open market without a tag in place.

The veteran offensive lineman showed off his versatility last season when working in at both right tackle and guard. Tackle is arguably the biggest trouble spot on the Patriots’ roster, and with Trent Brown also set to be a free agent, the team could lose both of its starters on the open market.

It’s a scary situation for a team expected to select a rookie quarterback at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Potential Titans FA target Mike Onwenu won’t get franchise tag

Potential Titans free-agent target, RT Mike Onwenu, remains slated to hit the open market after the Patriots used the transition tag on someone else.

As potential free-agent targets have come off the board for the Tennessee Titans this offseason because of franchise tags, there is one offensive lineman who remains slated to hit free agency, barring an extension.

On Tuesday, several reports revealed that the New England Patriots will be placing the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger, which means right tackle Mike Onwenu won’t be tagged since teams can only utilize one tag per offseason.

While it isn’t guaranteed the Titans will seek out a right tackle in free agency with the presence of both Dillon Radunz — who finished the 2023 campaign strong — and Nicholas Petit-Frere, Onwenu should be at the top of the list of right tackle targets if Tennessee looks to add one in free agency.

Onwenu, who can also play guard, had a strong season in 2023, with the 26-year-old giving up just three sacks and 23 pressures in 850 snaps (656 at right tackle, 194 at right guard).

He finished with PFF grades of 68.0 and 72.2 in pass-blocking and run-blocking, respectively, and had an overall grade of 71.5.

Spotrac estimates that Onwenu will receive a four-year deal worth $54.5 million ($13.6 million annually). The Titans are flush with cap space, so if they want to pull the trigger and bring Onwenu in for that amount, they certainly have the means to do so.

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What does Tuesday’s franchise tag deadline mean for Patriots?

Will the Patriots use the franchise tag by Tuesday’s deadline?

The deadline for NFL teams to use the franchise tag is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. That means it’s crunch time for the New England Patriots, if they’re considering using the tag on one of their pending free agents.

There are truly only two realistic options for the Patriots to consider: offensive tackle Mike Onwenu or safety Kyle Dugger.

Neither choice would be cheap.

Tagging Onwenu would cost the team $20.9 million for a guaranteed one-year contract, while keeping Dugger on such a deal would be $17.1 million. Of course, the team would much rather strike up a long-term deal with both players than the one-year placement rental.

Onwenu carries a hefty price tag, but he’s a vital player for the Patriots. His ability to play at both the offensive guard and tackle positions is a rare luxury for a rebuilding team. Keep in mind, Trent Brown is also a free agent this year, and none of the other tackles on the roster have panned out well for the Patriots.

It’s a trouble spot that could turn catastrophic if the team loses both Onwenu and Brown in free agency.

They’d definitely miss Kyle Dugger at safety, but there might be cheaper options in free agency or even the draft to help fill the void. The defense could survive without Dugger, but it’s hard to say the same for the offense without its two starting tackles.

Onwenu recently parted ways with his agency and has opted to represent himself in negotiations, which could make things interesting when it comes to renegotiating a possible extension with the Patriots. Meanwhile, Dugger recently changed agencies.

What happens on Tuesday could have a major impact on the Patriots’ approach in free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

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Projected market value for Patriots’ top pending free agents

The Patriots have multiple in-house free agents they might want to re-sign. Here’s what it could cost them.

Big decisions loom on the horizon for the New England Patriots heading into free agency.

They’re sitting pretty right now with roughly over $100 million in available salary cap space, but they are also a team bogged down with various holes and upgrade needs on their roster.

Free agency isn’t just about paying big money to load up on outside talent. It’s also about keeping the talent you already have to ensure some continuity. Not everything was bad with the 4-13 Patriots, and this isn’t a situation where the organization is looking to throw the entire team away.

There were pieces that stood out as potential parts of an eventual solution in New England. and it now falls on Patriots executive Eliot Wolf and the front office to figure out ways to keep those pieces intact.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Patriots’ top free agents and their projected market values, according to PFF.com and Spotrac.com.